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You are here: Home / SEO / What is Semantic SEO?

What is Semantic SEO?

February 6, 2017 //  by Massimo Paolini//  Leave a Comment

Last Updated on August 1, 2020

what is semantic seo

Evolution of Search Behavior

Semantic SEO refers to a question or search phrase that produces meaningful results, even when the results don’t contain an exact match of the words or phrases used. Basically, it means the search algorithm is smart enough to interpret a searcher’s intent (and potentially context of their search) to deliver an answer to their question.  Semantic SEO is an important concept especially if you’re creating a long-term White Hat SEO strategy because artificial intelligence in search is evolving beyond “keywords.”

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Ethical SEO Techniques Provide Longevity

The SEO world can be volatile, unpredictable, and frustrating. I guess that’s why I love it so much; it stretches my imagination and challenges my skillsets. 2016 was a year of big SEO changes. I anticipate 2017 to be full of updates and massive fluctuations. Google continues to chase and shut down websites that don’t cater to the human audience. When you use ethical techniques — also called White Hat SEO — then you’re simply following Google’s quality guidelines, like:

  • Create rich content for users not search engine bots
  • Understand how users access your website (e.g., mobile, desktop) and make the experience pleasant/easy
  • Don’t use any tactics meant to deceive your users
  • Avoid tricks in order to get better visibility in search (rankings)
  • Help Google find and understand your pages (technical things like metadata, sitemaps, and schema)

What is Semantic SEO?

The term “semantic SEO” has been around since 2002. I actually did a Google Trend on this search keyword. There were two major spikes in popularity (March 2006 and then again in May 2008). So, it’s not really new terminology. We’re just seeing artificial intelligency in search getting better. Here’s a concise definition offered by Tamas Doszkocs of WebLib:

Semantic search is a search or a question or an action that produces meaningful results, even when the retrieved items contain none of the query terms, or the search involves no query text at all.

Yikes, Moz may consider this a concise definition of “What is Semantic SEO” but you’re probably still scratching your head. I think Mashable’s definition is a bit better:

Semantic search uses artificial intelligence to understand the searcher’s intent and the meaning of the query and not parsing through keywords like a dictionary. When you search now, Google gives you results based solely on the text and the keywords that you put in that search. Essentially, Google gives you its best guess. When you use semantic search, Google will dive into the relationship between those words, how they work together, and attempt to understand what those words mean.

In a nutshell, semantic SEO refers to search results that don’t contain your exact search term. It’s guessing at your intent and delivering things it thinks you are looking for. Here’s an example. I searched for “organic face moisturizer.” The SERP returned great results including “natural moisturizer” even though it wasn’t in my original search.

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BallAn Appetite for More?

If you’re hungry for more data about “what is Semantic SEO,” then check out these articles. Warning: they are dry and technical. I purposefully chose reputable sources in the ever-evolving SEO industry:

  1. Moz – Semantic SEO Questions
  2. Search Engine Land – How Web Retailers Can Profit with Semantic SEO
  3. Mashable – How Google’s Semantic Search Will Change SEO

Predictions for More Change

Now with voice-activated search, our search behaviors are changing. We’ll probably see compound search phrases evolve — combining search strings or multi-part search queries — as technology continues to evolve. Another imminent change is Google’s split of its index, emphasizing the mobile version over the desktop version. Websites designed for the mobile experience will appear higher in search than laggards.

The good news is that you don’t need to understand the nitty-gritty of SEO to improve and maintain your organic visibility in search. The key is to consistently deliver quality content that drives readership and inbound links. Focus on the subject matter and how your audience uses/interacts with it. Or, outsource it to an SEO company that can explain this geeky stuff for you in a way that actually helps your business grow and make money on the Web. Otherwise, what’s the point… right?

Now you know the answers to “What is Semantic SEO.” So how will it change (or not) your SEO strategy?

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Category: SEO

About Massimo Paolini

Massimo is Co-CEO and Chief Data Scientist. On the web since the 90’s and a Google Partner since 2014, his expertise includes technical SEO, search marketing, marketing analytics/analysis, and online advertising. Massimo has an innate ability to sift through a sea of data, uncovering insights that formulate results-oriented strategies. He has taught Digital Marketing, Google Ads and SEO at UC Berkeley Extension since 2014—and presented at international search marketing conferences like SMXL in Milan.

Betty Kaufman
Betty Kaufman
2020-12-27
I have nothing but great things to say about the team at The Spectrum Group Online. For years, they've been managing my website, making sure it's up to date and that there are no issues. In the last 4 months, they've been running Facebook ads for me, and I'm thrilled with the results. Great ads. Tons of leads. A steady effort to improve the leads. Very responsive. If you want to be seen on social media, you should definitely talk to The Spectrum Group Online.
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Vanessa Contreras
2020-04-13
I appreciate Spectrum’s data-based approach to digital marketing. They created a dashboard specific to the data points most important to our multi-location retail business. Even more importantly, they educated us and delivered insights that fed our digital marketing and e-commerce strategies.
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Alison Salisbury
2019-10-17
Spectrum has been managing my website for years. Technology and web security changes often, making it hard for a small business to keep up. I never worry because the Spectrum team takes care of the critical details. I particularly appreciate they proactively keep my website safe and secure. Peace of mind and great customer service. That's why I can highly recommend them!
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Mark Feldstein
2018-05-09
Our business grew, greatly due to the efforts of the Spectrum team. They are a focused company with great experience and plenty of talent to support their process. Jen Currier, in particular, is an excellent PM, who helped us every step of the way. They helped us re-design our website from the ground up and used tools such as Keyword Research and Heatmaps to help drive leads to our company. We had the best year in the history of our company, in part due to Spectrum's efforts. I do not hesitate to highly recommend them.
SantaCruz NonForceChiropractors
SantaCruz NonForceChiropractors
2017-07-14
Massimo and The Spectrum Group Online have been very effective at sending quality traffic to our website and generating phone calls for appointments. Massimo has always been professional, responsive, and ready to make useful suggestions as well as explain the many ins and outs of search advertising. I highly recommend him to any business wishing to use a skilled and professional search marketing expert to increase their leads and grow their revenues.
Google rating score: 5 of 5,
based on 6 reviews.
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